TORONTO – This week, allegations continued to swirl around Conservative Candidates stealing 407 ETR data for political gain, and Doug Ford’s troubling and direct involvement in phony memberships and intimidation.

Now, a new recording reveals more deeply-troubling conduct by the Conservative Leader.

In April, a complaint to Elections Ontario was made regarding potentially illegal contributions from a Doug Ford leadershipevent in Scarborough—Rouge Park. At that event, speaking alongside Doug Ford and his now-appointed candidate Roshan Nallaratnam, a Ford organizer boasted about buying 96 memberships with his American Express card to help Mr. Ford’s leadership campaign:

“… last Wednesday I make a member, 96 members, with my American Express card, to the PCs. Which is my friends, which is—I don't want to call them for 10 dollars—and say [you know what], just take their word, ‘you want to be member of PC, if you don't mind’. And they did it, they all did it." (February 11, 2018)

Doug Ford stood beside this man and said nothing. Maybe because Ford was busy doing the exact same thing, even though he knew that according to his own party rules, this wasn’t allowed.

This latest information comes on the heels of Ford pledging that he, “won't tolerate anything along those lines as we did with the Brampton East candidate, we acted immediately and will continue to act immediately.” Separately, Ford committed to respond to evidence of wrongdoing by saying, “…if I find out anyone else has any information, it’s done. They’re gone.”

It is now clear that Ford himself is directly implicated in this instance of misconduct during his leadership campaign, and must take action.